A Grim Reminder of the Latest Deaths in Our Beloved Industry Before Summer Work Kicks Off

You there, sporting the “supervisor” face but looking at your cell phone when motors are moving.

You there, new guy and new girl, who are googly-eyed at the awesomeness but should be watching their own backs and paying attention to the work.

The summer season of outdoor music and theatre has started, and no matter if you’re doing corporate shows, theatre, music, or art production, this post needs to serve as a reminder. Along with orgs like PLASA and the Event Safety Alliance,JimOnLight.com is doing everything they can to NOT have a summer like the last few we’ve had – and what I can do is provide a reminder of the hell that we as an industry have seen, not to mention the families of those killed in these accidents and disasters lately. If I might reiterate, what we do is entertainment; it may pay the bills, but if you see something less than safe happening or took place in putting something together that you might not feel 100% about once it was finished, SPEAK UP NOW!

YOUR DUTY: It is your dutyto the safety of others and your own personal safetyto keep your head in the game once you are onsite. This includes WEATHER concerns, Safety concerns,

To address an email I got from a guy out there who prefers to remain anonymous out there, who asked me what would happen if a person got fired for refusing to do something unsafe. My response was something along the lines of:

You are probably working for a company that is a time bomb of fail waiting to happen — don’t be the fuse, and don’t feel bad about not wanting to die at work.

Regardless of Fact #1, you should probably consult an attorney before you go thermonuclear. Most attorneys do so for free.

Call people like OSHA, PLASA, USITT, anyone you can think of if something shady is going on. So you lose your job – don’t for a second think that the industry won’t be behind you for saving lives.

You can file unemployment in a case like that – a company doing shady safety work will sooner than later be discovered, it would not be in their interest to fight your claim. But, your mileage may vary, and frankly, some people have better luck than others in life at these things.

Feel good that you aren’t in that situation anymore, and get right back out there and find another gig if you lose yours. Do the right thing. Having deaths on your conscience is good for no human, no matter how little of a part you played in the process.

That’s my opinion, anyway. That’s what I’d do. An industry that won’t take care of people who keep it safe is not an industry anyone should participate in, regardless of the possible profits. Money is less valuable than lives.

Here’s a reminder of sacrifices have been made to further the standardization of safety in our business – please forgive me if I overlooked one close to you, all you have to do is email me and I will append this post.

Just don’t forget. Also, don’t forget that you are responsible for yourself out there, and when you’re putting equipment together, keep in mind that your diligence will mean the difference between you and others going home on the bus and going home in the ambulance – or even worse, getting a ride home with the coroner.

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Jim On Light’s primary writer is Jim Hutchison, President and Founder of Lumen Buddha Studios. Jim has several years of experience in the Entertainment Lighting industry. Jim is a member of USA Local 829.

This guy keeps us running. Fox is our Chief Web Strategist by night. By day, he is the Lead Projectionist on Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn to Life. He also writes most of our safety related content.